Technical Difficulties (Brother's Conflict)

Chapter 20!

Mei had woken up sleeping next to him the entire next day, even though it been late afternoon when she'd fallen asleep. She didn't even try to get out of his arms when she'd realized. Instead, that slowly growing part of her heart fluttered and coveted the warmth of someone being so close. Especially someone who could see right through her acting, who could see the numbness she used to be trapped in. 

It became a habit after that, those tiny bits of information became occasional floods of emotion from hearts that had sworn off feeling. Two souls basking in the light of affections that they wanted more than anything but terrified them by their power, like an addiction to something that's healthy after having only known unhealthy habits. The prospect that the dysfunctional lives they were living were healing was terrifying, and for Mei she wasn't ready to accept the fact that things are meant to heal over time. 

Maybe that's why, despite the fact that she knew she was in his arms, her dreams of all of the time they spent together, even including those muddled memories of the impromptu trip they'd taken for her birthday in the summer, they twisted with those horrible feelings kicked up from his tears. Like sediment at the bottom of a river, he kicked up those memories of her own parents that she avoided by waking constantly. 

Those words, those dreaded words, "Your truth is this..Do you understand?"

'Do you understand?' of course she didn't, she didn't want to understand the inner workings of that woman's brain, but she called out anyway to that ghostly figure in the high rising water. However, instead of drowning this time, she felt a shove right in the middle of her chest making her stumble backwards. The few steps were enough to make her slip, the ground was slippery but that water was cold, no it was ice. A sensation that she could only barely remember after years of numbness. Just as her head was about to collide with the snow covered ground, perhaps even kill her like how most of her nightmares ended, she woke with a start.

She was breathing heavily, morning light shining through the slight crack in the curtains telling her it was at least a good enough time to wake up Nageki if she had to. But he was already awake, brushing away a couple of stray tears that had fallen from her eyes with his thumb as she had done for him the night before. There was a serious but calming look on his face. "I.."

She cringed at how her voice broke from the way she had been panting to try and remember how to breathe, but Nageki didn't comment on it. Instead he pulled her in so that she had to put her head back down, quietly assuring her, "Just a dream Kitten, after all I'm right here."

----

A few weeks passed, Ema celebrating her 18th birthday in October was fun and all, but Mei was actually starting to look forward to Christmas for the first time in a while. Nageki had promised her something she'd like as long as she came over to his place before their company party. Currently, Mei was making her way home, a bag full of some odds and ends for oil painting hanging loosely from her arm. It was a little late since she'd taken her time in picking things out after school (not to mention getting off at the wrong stop twice because she was by herself), so she was a bit surprised to see Ema and Tsubaki in the front room where everyone's mailboxes were. 

She gave him a very curious look as he went to walk past her, suddenly freezing in her tracks as his eyes landed on her and an odd smile stretched on his face. As he passed without thinking, she grabbed his arm and stopped him, "Tsubaki, are you-"

"Don't worry about me, Little Sis." It was such a sad tone of voice for the normally bubbly man. When he put his hand on her head to pat her hair rather than his usual enthusiastic hugs, she almost felt like it was cold, only to notice that instead it was that empty filling welling up in her chest. "I'm just going for a walk."

He turned to leave, but her grip tightened for a moment as her mouth hung open trying to choke out words. That look in his eyes told her she shouldn't let him go by himself, but those words didn't come out. Instead, after a few seconds under his curious gaze her grip loosened and her hand slipped from its place on his upper arm. She didn't look him in the eyes, turning away and saying, "Be careful."

He gave a noise of understanding and disappeared around the corner from her peripheral gaze, almost a look of finality in his leaving, but she brushed that odd feeling off. He must have just been having a bad day, he'd come back soon when the cold set in, she was assuring herself of such things. Even when she bumped into Azusa as she entered the condo, having to dodge him as he ran out after his twin. She looked curiously over to Ema who looked just as baffled. "Do you know what that was about?"

Ema shook her head, still gazing out towards where the two brothers had disappeared around a corner before seemingly snapping herself out of it. "Where've you been, Mei? Your nose is all red and you must be freezing with that sweater, come inside! I'll make you some tea and then we can play the new game that Natsume sent me!"

She waved the envelope in Mei's face excitedly, making the younger girl let out an amused sigh as they both got out of the cold of the entrance into the presumably warmer climate of the condo. As they walked, Mei revealed her goods for replenishing her stores of supplies for her next painting. "Are you planning on oil painting here?"

Mei shook her head. "All of my other stuff is up at the apartment and oil paints aren't a pleasant smell to have in my bedroom. I'm planning on heading up for the weekend and finishing something up to chuck into the market for some extra cash for christmas shopping, we have more people than usual after all."

"Ah, I hadn't even thought about how I was going to get gifts for everyone this year!"

"Its okay, we can just put both our names on everything we get for the brothers. I wanted you with me when I went shopping for them in the first place since you're better at picking out gifts for people, so I supply the cash and you supply the ideas, deal?"

"That sounds good to me, but I'll just have to get you something really good for Christmas to make up for it!" Ema was grinning to herself, already planning out what to do with the good but cheap picture frames she'd seen when she was at the mall. There were a handful of pictures from the wedding that were calling her name.

"Also, I happened to snag these." Mei revealed another bag at the bottom of the art supplies, containing an assortment of different candies the two like as well as some chips.

Ema squealed in happiness as she linked arms with her sister while bringing them to the kitchen to make that promised tea. "You're the best! You spoil me too much!"

"Yeah, well I didn't plan on sharing all of it when I bought it, but I'd rather share it with you or Wataru rather than Nageki when he picks up on it in my bag like some sort of sweets bloodhound." Ema laughed, looking through the bag at a glance though, she saw three cups of coffee jelly which in the past Mei had mentioned to be Nageki's favorite. The slightly older sister grinned to herself while thinking of the two. 'Maybe Nageki wasn't too far off when he made that brother-in-law joke..'

bois im literally a half-step away from getting snakebite piercings which i've wanted since like the beginning of time itself now we can only wait for the results on if covid rules state i can't get lip piercings rn which means i'd have to wait until next summer since i need them to be mostly healed so i can occasionally take them out in the fall